Rowlock.



E. T. LINDSEY & w. M. TILLEY.

ROWLOGK. APPLIOATION FILED'OOT. 2a, 1909.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910.

v anvento af UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND T. LINDSEY AND WILLIAM 1VL TILLEY, OF SOUTH NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

ROWLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDMUND T. LINDSEY and WILLIAM M. TILLnr, citizens of the United States, residing at South Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rowlooks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has to do with rowlocks; and it contemplates the provision in a rowlock of compact, durable and efficient means calculated to securely hold the lock against casual displacement while permitting free turning movement thereof, and adapted when manipulated in a simple manner to release the look so that the same may be readily removed.

The invention in all of its details will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accom pany'ng and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rowlock constituting the best practical embodiment of our invention that we have as yet devised. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through the rowlock and its support and illustrating the manner in which the keeper cooperates with the circumferential. groove in the shank of the lock to prevent displacement of the look without interfering with the rotation thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken in a plane immediately above the top plate of the body, and illustrating the arrangement of the upper arm of the keeper in the longitudinal groove of said plate. Fig. 4 is an end elevation looking toward the open side of the housing comprised in the body.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the view of the drawings, referring to which:

A is the lock of our improvedclevice. The said lock in addition to the header, which is preferably of conventional form, has a shank b, of circular form in crosssection, and in which is a circumferential groove 0.

B is the body of the rowlock, which is preferably cast or otherwise formed of one piece of metal suitable to the purpose. The said body includes a top plate d having a longitudinal groove 6 in its upper side and also having screw holes f and g, the latter of which are formed in the bottom of the groove; a housing It depending from the top plate at and open at one side, Figs. 1 and 2; and a vertically disposed sleeve z'formed in the housing and extending upward through the top plate cl and having its wall that is adjacent the said open side of the housing comparatively short and beveled at its lower end, as indicated by j.

In addition to the look A and the body B our rowlock comprises a keeper C. This latter is formed of a single piece of springmetal, andhas a comparatively short horizontal arm is in which are apertures Z, a depending arm m disposed at a right angle to the arm 7c, and a protuberance p on the arm m, which protuberance is beveled at its upper side. The keeper is properly positioned relative to the body by extending its upper arm is vertically through the aperture '1 inthe top plate (Z, and then swinging it so that its upper arm is rests in the groove 0 in said top plate, and its other and longer arm m rests in the housing It and between the open side of the said housing and the short wall of the sleeve 2', and the beveled upper side of its protuberance p normally rests against the beveled lower end 3' of said short wall. From this it will be manifest that the resilient keeper can be readily placed in the body in such manner as to be protected against injury by the latter; also, that in the event of the resilient keeper being broken or impaired, it may be readily removed and as readily replaced by a new keeper withoutthe necessity of employing skilled labor.

The body B may be supported in a boat in any manner consonant with the purpose of our' invention without involving departure from the scope of the same as claimed. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, however, the housing h of the body B is shown as socketed in a gunwale D, and the body B andkeeper O are secured in position by screws or other fastening devices passed through the apertures thereof and into the gunwale. It will also be noticed in this connection that the arm at of the keeper C depends below the housing b so that said arm can be pressed or pulled in a direction to withdraw its protuberance p from the circumferential groove 0 in the shank of the look A.

In practice it will be observed that when the arts are relatively arranged as shown in Flgs. 1 and 2, the look A is free to turn about its axis, and yet there is no liability of the said lock being released from the sleeve in the body B. From this it follows that there is little liability of the look A being lost or' stolen, the latter being due in large measure to the location of the de-- pending arm m of the keeper at a point remote from the lock head a, with the result that a person unfamiliar with the working of the device would not be liable to under stand that manipulation of the said arm on was necessary to release the lock A.

In addition to the practical advantages hereinbefore ascribed to our novel rowlock, itwill be noted that the same is strong and durable and therefore well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which devices of corresponding character are ordinarily subjected.

While We have shown and described one form of our invention, it is to be understood that we are not limited to the details or the 'form or relative arrangement of parts disclosed, but that extensive modificationsmay be made therein Without departingfrom the spirit thereof.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is: I

1. In a rowlock, the combination with a body having a longitudinal groove in its upper side and also having a slot disposed vertically and communicating with the groove, and aresilient keeper having anupper arm secured in the groove of: the body,

and also having. an arm extending down-- ward through the slot; of a lock having a shank socketed in the body and normally held against displacement by the latter arm of the keeper.

2. In a rowlock, the combination with a body comprising a horizontal top plate, a

housing dependmg from the top plate and open at one side, and a sleeve formed in the top plate and the housing and having a short wall adjacent the open side of the latter, and a resilient keeper secured to the to plate and extending downward through an movable laterally in the housing and depending below the latter; of a lock having a shank socketedin the sleeve of the body and normally held against displacement by the keeper.

3. In a rowlock, the combination with a body comprising an apertured top plate having a longitudinal groove in its upper side and also having a slot at the inner end of the groove, and a housing depending from the top plate and open at one side, a sleeve formed in the top plat-e and the housing and having a short wall adjacent the open side of the latter, and a resilient keeper having an upper arm secured in the groove of the top plate, and also having an arm ex tending downward through the slot and the R. S. CoHooN, H. O. MAURY. 

